Appliance for collapsible tube



June 23, 1964 1.. J. HANNA 3,133,292

APPLIANCE FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBE Filed Aug. 14, 1961 ,2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. LAWRENCE J. HANNA w M4 M5 ATTORNEY June 23, 1964 J. HANNA APPLIANCE FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 14, 1961 FIG.

W u AM ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,138,292 APPLIANCE FOR COLLAPSIBLE TUBE Lawrence J. Hanna, 412 W. Gorham Sh, Madison 3, Wis.

Filed Aug. 14, 1961, Ser. No. 131,262

1 Claim. (Cl. 222-99) This invention relates to a device for attaching to collapsible dispensing tubes such as toothpaste tubes or the like to enable the user of a tube to dispense substantially all of the contents from the tube, and more particularly relates to a tab and winding key applicance which can be fastened to a tube and which can be wound to flatten the tube and dispense the contents from the tube without causing the tube to crack or break'during use.

Semi-fluid materials such as toothpaste, caulking compound, resinous adhesive and the like are conveniently merchandised in expendable metal tubes from which the materials are dispensed by squeezing the tube. Such tubes are economical and convenient in use except that they are time consuming and diflicult to evacuate completely and it is common for ten percent or more of the contents of a tube to remain in the tube and be wasted when the tube is discarded. Devices which have been made heretofore for improving the efficiency of dispensing merchandise from collapsible tubes have comprised winding keys attachable to the base of a tube to enable the tube to be wound and flattened to dispense the contents with little waste. Such devices have lacked marked public acceptance because of the inconvenience of fitting a large key to the base of a tube. The article of this invention differs from such devices by providing a tab integral with a tube or clipped to the folded and locked metal seam across the base of the tube for receiving a winding key. The key may be passed over the tab and the tube be wound by means of the key to force the tube contents from the tube. The tab should be sufficiently thin and ductile to withstand repeated twisting without cracking or failure and should also be sufficiently strong and tough to resist being pulled from the tube or being broken by winding of the key.

It is an object of this invention to provide a winding key appliance for dispensing from malleable metal tubes semi-fluid material or the like.

It is another object of this invention to provide a metal tab which may be afiixed to the base of a collapsible tube to enable a key to be inserted thereover and be wound along the length of the tube.

It is another object of this invention to provide an inexpensive and convenient means for use with collapsible metal tubes which can be merchandised with the tube without enlarging the tube package.

Other objects will become apparent from the drawings and from the following detailed description in which it is intended to illustrate the applicability of the invention without thereby limiting its scope to less than that of all equivalents which will be apparent to one skilled in the art. In the drawings like reference numerals refer to like parts, and:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a metal blank of a tab which can be aflixed to a collapsible metal tube;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of a tab formed from the blank of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of a portion of a collapsible metal tube with the tab of FIGURE 2 attached thereto and a key inserted over the tab for winding the tube;

FIGURE 4 is a cross-sectional perspective view of the assembly of FIGURE 3;

FIGURE 5 is a cross-sectional perspective view of another embodiment of this invention wherein a tab is fabricated with a collapsible metal tube during filling and sealing of the tube;

3,138,292 Patented June 23, 1964 Ice FIGURE 6 is a cross-sectional perspective view of another embodiment of this invention wherein an integral tab is shown on a collapsible metal tube.

In FIGURE 1 metal blank 10 is configured as a sheet of material having a rectangular configuration at one end extremity, and a rounded curvilinear lobe configuration at the other end extremity. The metal blank preferably comprises aluminum of nominal 99% purity without specified alloying ingredients such as AISI-SAE alloy 1100- H14 half hard, and may comprise any alloy which enables the metal to be heat treated and hardened or may even comprise pure aluminum. Copper, nickel, zinc, magnesium or other material may be provided as an alloying ingredient. Any alloy aluminum when half hardened is sufficiently ductile for use on a collapsible aluminum tube such as is commonly used for toothpaste and is sufficiently tough to resist cracking from repeated bending. If desired, other metal or alloys may be used as desired such as stainless steels, lead alloys, tin alloys or other operable materials. It has been found that materials other than aluminum do not optimumly combine toughness and resistance to breakage to the same extent as does half hard aluminum alloy. The aluminum used in blank 10 may be re-refined from scrap aluminum or the like and need not be high purity material.

In FIGURE 2 is shown tab 11 fashioned from blank 10 of FIGURE 1 with lip 12 bent through substantially along one squared end extremity of blank 12. The width of lip 12 may be preferably about 7 inch for use on a toothpaste tube but may be of any other width as may be desirable with tubes of different sizes. The tab is preferably configured from heavier stock than the tube wall, for example, on toothpaste tubes tab 12 preferably comprises stock of 12 mils thickness, the tube wall of a toothpaste tube usually comprising aluminum of approximately 7 mils thickness. Lip 12 is preferably, but not necessarily, made somewhat wider than the tab lobe as shown to provide added strength to resist tearing of the tab from the tube.

In FIGURE 3, tab 12 is shown affixed to tube 13 by lip 11 being forcibly inserted in folded and locked metal seam 14 at the base of tube 13. As shown, seam 14 comprises a double locked seam of conventional con struction. Key 15 is provided with a slot 16 through which tab 12 is inserted. Key 15 is preferably wound in the direction shown by the arrow to bend tab 12 through 180 onto itself and upward along tube 13 so that upon continued turning of the key the tube will be flattened and wrapped around the key. It will be noted that slot 16 in key 15 extends only a portion of the way across the width of the tube although the key extends completely across the width of the tube. It will be evident that the tab 12 can be removed from tube 13 with ease or can be aflixed to tube 13 with equal facility. It is preferred that key 15 be wound in the direction shown to prevent tab 12 from unrolling locked seam 14 as may happen if the key is rotated in the opposite direction to that shown. It is intended that key 15 after being attached to tab 12 will not be detached and that tab 12 will undergo only initial bending during the rolling of the tube. However, it is to be understood that tab 12 as shown is of such character as to operably withstand repeated bending as will occur if tab 12 is removed from tube 13 and refastened numerous times.

In FIGURE 4 is shown a cross-sectional perspective view of the assembly of FIGURE 3. It will be seen that lip 11 of tab 12 extends between the folds comprising lock 14 at the base of tube 13. The construction shown in FIGURES 3 and 4 is a preferred embodiment of this invention and enables the user to attach tab 12 and key 15 to tube 13 at any time that he may desire. It is contemplated that tab 12 and key 15 may be enclosed and :3 packaged with tube 13 without increasing the size of the tube package.

In FIGURE 5 is shown another embodiment of this invention wherein tube 13 is crimped together with a flat metal blank such as blank of FIGURE 1 during closing and sealing of the tube after filling. When the two sides 17 and 18 of tube 13 are pressed together tab 12 is disposed therebetween and is rolled together with the base of the tube into a sheet metal lock as shown. It will be seen that tab 12' is provided with two bends of 180 each and is firmly and non-detachably afiixed to tube 13'.

In FIGURE 6 is shown another embodiment of the invention Where tab 12" is integral with wall 18' of tube 13". When Walls 17 and 18' are folded into a sheet metal lock as shown tab 12" may extend along the side of tube 13" as shown in broken line. When it is desired to use tab 12" the free end of the tab is bent downward to extend below the base of the tube as shown in solid line. The incorporation of an integral tab in a tube is feasible because a preponderant number of tubes such as toothpaste tubes comprise aluminum of a composition suitable for tab 12.

It will be understood that tabs 12, 12' and 12 as shown in FIGURES 3, 4, 5 and 6 may extend before use either along the side of the tube as shown in FIGURE 6 in broken line or may extend beyond the end of the tube as shown in FIGURES 4, 5 and 6 in full line. In either case the tabs will be extended beyond the end of the tube for fastening key and Winding the tube onto the key.

A tab for use in this invention preferably, but not necessarily extends across only a minor portion of the base of a tube and is preferably somewhat thicker than the material comprising the tube, preferably from 1 /2 to 2%. times the tube wall thickness. It is preferred to provide a tab of the same composition as the tube or similar thereto. It has been found that similar materials are not pulled apart during normal use as readily as are dissimilar materials and therefore are preferred for use.

While certain modifications and embodiments of the invention have been described, it is of course to be understood that there are a great number of variations which will suggest themselves to anyone familiar with the subject matter thereof and it is to be distinctly understood that this invention should not be limited except by such limitations as are clearly imposed in the appended claim.

I claim:

A dispensing article comprising in combination: a tab, a collapsible soft metal tube having a sheet metal lock seam end closure, said tab comprising a body portion and a tab portion, said body portion bent through substantially across its width to provide a lip portion and an extending portion, all of said portions being of lesser width than said tube and said extending portion extending beyond said lock seam end closure of said tube, a key having a slot therein for receiving the tab portion of said tab therethrough, said key comprising a shank which extends substantially across the width of said tube and a handle means for winding said key, said lip portion being inserted and frictionally secured within said metal lock seam end closure, said tab being attached and detachable from said end closure before winding, the soft metal wall of said tube being of an aluminum alloy containing nominally 99% aluminum and being about 7 mils thick, the material of said tab being at least about as thick as the wall of said tube and having a maximum thickness of about 12 mils, said tab being of an aluminum alloy containing nominally 99% aluminum, said alloy being tempered to the /2 hard state.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,754,403 Reubush Apr. 15, 1930 1,764,304 Hildebrandt June 17, 1930 1,884,543 Bolz Oct. 25, 1932 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,106,235 France July 13, 1955 

